Ahhhhhh.....one of my favorites. Can't see Josh'* car, though.

Only the star. Notice it diffuses the stuff in the background a little. It mutes the fine features a bit.

The UV b one is a must for normal use. That'* all i got right now. Others will help with outdoor lighting, indoor etc.

I agree. I never remove the UVB. Other filters attach to it. I've always had a UVB on my cameras for the last 20 years.

Same here. I have a Hoya HMC multi-coated 67mm UV(0) I use on my 24-85 zoom.

I love filters myself..especially the circular polarizer...the ability to turn it to get the right effect is great.

Also, I like shooting in black and white...then you can use the blue, yellow, red, and orange filters to get different effects in the sky and shadows. I love shotting on a day with dramatic clouds in the background of the shot and then throwing on a yellow, orange, or even red filter to really bring it out. I bet that would be great for those of you out in "big sky country".

Also, I only use film, a NIkon F100, so that is what I'm familiar with, but there are tricks you can use on any camera too (like in the absence of a star filter take a very sheer pair of pantyhose and pull it tight over the lense and it will make little stars when the light hits it).

And speaking of film, that is an important choice too. If you're indoors you have to go with a high speed film (ideally 400), and if you're outdoors or in a very bright place (or shooting with lights) you use a lower speed film, like 100 or even 50 on an extra bright day. The film will also cause different effects...400 is grainier than 100, so you can use 400 on a bright day with a very small aperature and get an interesting grainy look.

In addition to film speed there are different types of film that have very different looks. Idealy, if you are shooting in color, shoot with slide film. It'* a little more of a hassle (you need to find a lab that develops it...no one hour lab will), but it'* worth it. The color is so bright it is breathtaking. If you want bright blues and greens, go Fujichrome...for bright reds and oranges, go Ektachrome. If you'd rather not go through the extra trouble, but don't mind spending a little money, get pro film, like Provia...it has almost the same saturation.

Also, there are specialty films out there, like Infra-red, that can be a lot of fun to use and can really produce some interesting results.

And one more thing to remember with film is that a 35 mm negative does not blow up perfectly to an 8 X 10...it'* dimensions match a 4 X 6, but when making an 8 X 10 you will lose 2 inches off of the long side (it should be 8 X 12), so think about how big you want it before you take the picture, or tell the lab tech to make it an 8 X 12.

That'* a great point. If you go through the trouble to compose a good picture, it won't look right with the sides cropped off. I've never understood why 8 x 10s are so popular, at least for anyone with 35mm or a DSLR.

Ok... another tip.... time of day....or position of the sun.

I've actually gone out and made notes of when a shot will have the sun in the right spot or not.

For Halifax harbor and Bedford basin, if I want Halifax in the shot I have to take the pix in the morning. If I want the other side (Dartmouth) in the shot, afternoon will do, but not too late otherwise the buildings will shadow the car.

Also, noontime (ie high noon) IMHO is not the best time... it causes a shadow to be cast down all side of the car. I believe late afternoon until sunset is the best time of day.
Sunset is hard because you don't want your shadow (or others) to ruin the shot.

On that note of others ruining your shot, if you take people along with you, ask them to stand by/behind you when taking photos. Simple enough.... hehe

Yes, closer to sunset/rise you'll have better sky colors as well. Noon is very flat.

Now if you're taking pix in shadows, like under trees, then noon is a better time because it'* the brightest.

We just got a Fish eye Lens for our Video Camera, Was 100 dollors..Doesn't do sh**

It'* a big lens so sometimes it prevents my silver from Vilming with the Protection cap

on , glad he got it for his birthday along with the camera itself, Lot'* of fun to

use

guess i should add this, its a really cool article on taking pictures
part 1
part 2